Chapter 38: The Defeat of the Rebel Army-The Last Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty(A few words, full of meaning.)

The rebel army strictly forbade the private possession of gold, silver, and currency. Any supplies plundered by the thieves had to be turned over, and the superiors would then grant rewards based on the nature of the spoils. The classification of the spoils was quite peculiar: the highest tier did not consist of pearls and rare treasures, but rather of horses and pack mules; the second tier comprised bows, arrows, spears, muskets, and ammunition; the third tier included gold, silver, and valuables; and the lowest tier—the fourth—consisted of pearls and precious gems. The desperate urge to survive in wartime turned men into the most pragmatic of creatures. Mules could pull heavy supplies, horses could be trained as warhorses to charge into battle, the value of weaponry and ammunition went without saying, and gold and silver were universally recognized and desired currencies.

By Su Feng'er's estimation, regardless of whether they wore armor or not, the infantry under Li Zicheng's command numbered around one hundred thousand. As for the cavalry, there were at least five thousand, perhaps even ten thousand. Naturally, given Su Feng'er's position, the exact figures remained unclear to her.

Thus, the most formidable force within the entire rebel army undoubtedly consisted of the cavalry under the direct command of the major generals, followed by the armored infantry, and lastly the lightly armored, sparsely armored, or entirely unarmored combat soldiers. Below them were these displaced refugees and brave souls pressed into service. They could hardly be considered soldiers at all; most of the time, they served as mere cannon fodder.

Presently, the refugee troops garrisoning the Liuyuan Mouth ferry crossing belonged to this lowest tier.

Before Zhu Cilang launched his attack, no one among the rebel ranks could have anticipated that any imperial forces would dare to take the initiative and launch an offensive. Under such circumstances, the caliber of the rebel soldiers left to guard such a freezing and desolate post went without saying.

"Oh no... Dang Shousu is coming!" Suddenly, just as Zhu Cilang was listening to Su Feng'er's explanations, Su Feng'er gasped while holding the spyglass, pointing anxiously toward the rear of the battlefield at a series of fluttering black banners and exclaimed, "Those are Dang Shousu's troops. He is a trusted confidant directly under the rebel leader Li Zicheng, and a major general hailing from the Old Eight Banners origins. Under his command are over a thousand armored cavalrymen, several thousand armored infantry, and at least ten thousand regular combat soldiers!"

Zhu Cilang immediately snatched back the spyglass and peered through it carefully.

Sure enough, behind a banner of black, upwards of a thousand armored horsemen abruptly emerged. These cavalrymen urged their mounts forward, keeping their steeds at a controlled pace, their movements possessing a rhythmic cadence that felt strangely familiar to Zhu Cilang.

After a brief moment of reflection, Zhu Cilang realized that this was the unmistakable aura of a true military force. And that rhythmic cadence was the hallmark of a large army maintaining the integrity of its battle formation while on the march. This signified that they were a well-drilled, battle-hardened army.

At the same time, this cavalry force was clearly composed of seasoned veterans. They entered the battlefield without panic, moving with ease, their commands and maneuvers governed by strict discipline, as if the battlefield were their familiar home.

Zhu Cilang understood that this was the temperament of veterans. He had witnessed this very same composure in the personal guards stationed around the seventeenth prince.

Aside from the thousand cavalrymen, there were also several thousand infantrymen of uncounted numbers, accompanied by an even larger crowd of at least ten thousand coerced refugees and levies.

Suddenly, as Zhu Cilang panned the spyglass away, a striking flash of crimson came into view within his field of vision.

Lowering the spyglass at last, Zhu Cilang chuckled and said, "It seems not only Dang Shousu has arrived, but an old acquaintance as well. Su Feng'er, what kind of person is the Red Lady? If I were to give you a chance, would you want to go back?"

Upon hearing Zhu Cilang's words, Su Feng'er shuddered from head to toe.

"I... I..." Su Feng'er's mouth hung open, at a loss for how to respond.

Zhu Cilang spoke gently, "Speak your mind. Women have served in the military since ancient times. Hua Mulan joined the army to serve her country, and the Red Lady raised the banner of righteousness—for a woman, such deeds make one at least a heroic figure. What's this? Where has that bold and resolute Su Feng'er of before gone? When Imperial Physician Hu Bo was about to refuse you, the things you dared to say back then earned my utmost admiration."

Hearing Zhu Cilang hold women in such high regard, Su Feng'er glanced at him sideways, mustered her courage, and said, "The Red Lady... is a woman of tragic fate. We raised the banner of righteousness only because her identity as a woman drew the covetous desires of high-ranking officials, leaving us no choice but to kill the officials and rebel. In the end, it was merely to gather a group of wretched sisters and scrape together a living in these turbulent times. As for any so-called heroic spirit, there was truly none... Yet in this world, where is there a path to survival for the unfortunate? Even if Your Honor were to grant this humble maid a chance, though it might be construed as betrayal, I do not wish to... I do not wish to return to that chaotic rebel army!"

"In troubled times... everyone seeks a sanctuary untouched by the flames of war," Zhu Cilang said with a faint smile. "Rest assured, within my army, unless every last one of our men lies dead, no one will ever be permitted to humiliate you. And that protection extends, of course, to the subjects of the Great Ming behind us."

Having finished speaking with deep emotion, Zhu Cilang noticed Su Feng'er staring fixedly at him, her eyes brimming with moisture, as though she might burst into tears at any moment.

Seeing this, Zhu Cilang softened his voice further and said, "Sending you to find the Red Lady is not about casting you aside. Rather... I hope that through your arrival, more people can be delivered from suffering. Not only do I hope you will be able to return when the time comes, but I also hope you can bring even more wretched souls away from this turbulent era. Saved through your actions... What do you say, are you willing to go?"

"I... I... am willing to go!"

...

Boom...

"Damnation, why have these imperial troops suddenly become so formidable?" As another barrage of cannon fire crashed down, Dang Shousu's ruddy face turned ashen.

The battle at the front was not particularly fierce.

At the very beginning, unaware of the prowess of the imperial forces, Dang Shousu's infantry had charged forward for a spell, only to be met by a triple-volley from the enemy's musketeers that laid low a front rank of over a hundred men, nearly sparking an outright mutiny. It was only when Dang Shousu threw in another thousand men to charge and clash with the advancing imperial pikemen, breaking through two points in their line, that he managed to save face and hastily sound the retreat.

Retreat he must; the imperial musketeers reloaded their flints and gunpowder with astonishing speed. To linger after a failed charge would bring the musketeers down upon them once more. Should another rank fall, Dang Shousu's heart would ache to the point of tears.

Thus, formidable though Dang Shousu's elite troops were, they could do no more than fight for a brief moment before being forced to pull back.

That brief moment, naturally, referred to a single charge.

At this thought, Dang Shousu could not help but curse aloud: "Useless trash!"

Liu Tuotian's troops were indeed trash, being beaten back by a single enemy charge while attempting to strike while the enemy was halfway across the river. Yet this not only proved the uselessness of Liu Tuotian's men, but further highlighted the genuine strength of the imperial forces.

Failing to win even by striking the enemy's weak point mid-crossing, Dang Shousu—now fully aware of how formidable the imperial army was—no longer dared to mount a rash assault.

Yet to abandon the attack and simply allow the imperial forces to firmly establish a foothold at the ferry crossing was something Dang Shousu found utterly intolerable, and indeed, unthinkable.

"How is it that the imperial troops have suddenly changed so drastically?" Dang Shousu muttered to himself.

Beside him, the Red Lady rode up on horseback at some point and said, "General Dang, the greatest strength of these imperial troops lies in the devastating power of their muskets, making them entirely unlike any other government forces we have faced. Now that we can no longer hold the ferry crossing, we should call off the attack for the time being. The soldiers have marched a long way and their strength is waning." (To be continued.)